New Plastic vs. Old Plastic

[SpiderAndTheFly]

If there is a thread on this, feel free to point me in the right direction.

I want to change my bag around. Is there typically a difference in new disc vs. old discs? If I want to buy a Teebird (for example), is it ok to buy something new off of a website, or is it better to look for an older mold? Is there a big enough difference in the molds, even though they are the same plastic, as time goes? Are there disc out there that are better from the past than they would be new today?

That's a lot of questions, and I thank you for any advice you can offer.

 

[5QU166Y]

You'll get different answers from different people on this topic, but this is what it boils down to:

Some older discs are different from their current counterparts. I can attest that 11x Teebirds are more stable than current production Teebirds. However, this does not necessarily mean that those Teebirds are objectively better than new Teebirds (some people will argue this point, but I don't care).

Many people covet old plastic because they think it's "better" than new plastic. I would contest that although OOP discs may be different than their modern counterparts, they don't have any magical qualities which make them better than current production discs. They are, however, harder to find and more expensive than production discs.

I would say that it's a much better idea to build your bag around molds that are readily available, especially since you don't already have any preferences towards out-of-production discs.

For instance, instead of buying an 11x Teebird because they're sought after, try a production Teebird. If it's too domey or not stable enough, try a Rival or a Pro Saint.

Basically, I would strongly advise against becoming attached to OOP discs as it is costly and difficult to find replacements. Instead, find current discs that you like, and build your bag around those.

P.S. If you are specifically interested in learning about the differences between various Teebirds, there are a number of threads that can be easily found which contain that information.

 

[thedrew300]

I've always ended ups selling old plastic, maybe it flies better maybe it doesn't, but even if it does, it's not enough to cover the price difference.

 

[Allurex]

I've always ended ups selling old plastic, maybe it flies better maybe it doesn't, but even if it does, it's not enough to cover the price difference.

Not always, no. But sometimes. I've got an older 8x Roc in my bag that flies different enough to cover the price.

 

[JReynolds]

Build your bag with current production discs. Soon enough they will be OOP for one reason or another, and you will be paying premium prices for the plastic you love. Learn to love current production discs, and save up (and stock up) for when they go OOP

 

[kyledstauffer]

No. end of story. I've tried both and with few exceptions you can always get something in production that will fly close to what the old stuff does. People buy the old stuff mostly because it's what they were throwing when they started - the feel is familiar. Can you get something that feels like CE? probably not. Can you get something that will fly as good or better...definitely

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Not always, no. But sometimes. I've got an older 8x Roc in my bag that flies different enough to cover the price.

Different from current Rocs maybe, but different from pretty much everything currently being produced?

Don't get me wrong: throw it on as many holes as you can, for as long as you can... but if it eventually has to be replaced, you can probably come pretty freakin' close with something other than an 8X Roc. for less than a third the price.

The differences in flight and feel are subtle. The differences in cost can be several time the cost of current production discs.

 

[Crazy Runner Guy]

Here's the thread: A little rant about boutique (rare) discs.

 

[Gennataos]

There are so many different companies making so many different molds, I don't get why people would pay top dollar for OOP unless they're a collector. Top-end pros move to a different sponsor and remain top-end pros with a bag full of completely different discs. I don't see why that'd be any different for anyone else. /shrug

 

[mashnut]

There is not a single out of production disc that you can't replace with a currently produced model in readily available plastics. Especially if you don't know exactly what you want to throw, don't go spend big money on discs that aren't going to do anything special for you. Also, if you play in the cold, the older the disc the more likely it is to break on a hard impact.

 

[Columbia gorge]

There is not a single out of production disc that you can't replace with a currently produced model in readily available plastics. Especially if you don't know exactly what you want to throw, don't go spend big money on discs that aren't going to do anything special for you. Also, if you play in the cold, the older the disc the more likely it is to break on a hard impact.

This man speaks the truth, just ask my brand new 8x Roc that made it exactly 2 rounds. Cold Kills!

 

[plastic cannon]

Some of the older plastic is great. For example, I love small bead Aviars. They don't make them anymore, but they are relatively inexpensive to acquire. All of the OOP stuff I have (collection and in my bag) came to me for either dirt cheap, from PIA or someone traded me something. The best advice has already been given: don't bother with the OOP stuff since there are so many manufacturers making great discs. I have some OOP stuff in my bag that I love, however, I could replace those discs if I needed to with current stuff and it would likely have little to no effect on my scores.

 

[moose-mdg]

i always say if your a new player go new ....for me i started in 2005 and the CE , pro line , pearly was what was out and available ...so it was what felt right to me to use up until last year when i switched to Legacy ....the old stuff costs too much ...

 

[simpletwist]

My advice would be forget about "old" plastic. Find discs that are currently produced. This way you can easily replace a lost disc. And you won't spend a ton of $$$.

 

[dontbl1nk]

It all boils down to feel. I hate hard slick champion plastic, so I throw a lot of ce. It has the perfect amount of grip for me. But at the same time prodigy 400s is similar in grip but more gummy, so it is a great winter replacement.

 

[Horsman]

There is not a single out of production disc that you can't replace with a currently produced model in readily available plastics. Especially if you don't know exactly what you want to throw, don't go spend big money on discs that aren't going to do anything special for you. Also, if you play in the cold, the older the disc the more likely it is to break on a hard impact.

I want gummy champ teebirds and eagles, and all I can find is that stiff JL junk they are putting out. THey need to put of gummy JL plastic, then I would be really really really happy

 

[brandocommando9]

This man speaks the truth, just ask my brand new 8x Roc that made it exactly 2 rounds. Cold Kills!

Tell me it wasn't the one I traded you?

 

[garublador]

If there is a thread on this, feel free to point me in the right direction.

I want to change my bag around. Is there typically a difference in new disc vs. old discs? If I want to buy a Teebird (for example), is it ok to buy something new off of a website, or is it better to look for an older mold? Is there a big enough difference in the molds, even though they are the same plastic, as time goes? Are there disc out there that are better from the past than they would be new today?

That's a lot of questions, and I thank you for any advice you can offer.

Some discs, like the Teebird, actually have had the same shaped mold for a long time, if not for its entire life. They may have replaced parts of the mold or changed the words that show up, but it's the same shape. Different runs end up with slightly different shapes because of manufacturing variables, though. When a specific run has some slightly different characteristic that some find desirable and is easy to positively identify, those are the discs you see people looking for and paying extra for. It's not that they're different or unique, it's just a way to guarantee that you get a specific shaped disc.

Other discs, like the Beast, have actually had mold changes. You have to buy them from a specific time to get a certain shaped mold that produced the discs.

My advice is to ignore both of those discs. With how many discs that are out now you can make at least as good of a bag out of currently produced discs as you can out of OOP or old run discs. It's way cheaper, too.

 

[Jaysauls]

Once I find a disc in the plastic and weight that works for me, I end up buying several backups for the inevitable time I sink it in a bond or it flys into never-never land. I might be a bit over zealous in the discs I like, but I usually have at least 3 back ups in various stages of being broken in.

 

[wake911]

I like the grip on old beat-in putters. I can't stand old discs as throwers, since they are too expensive to replace. Every run of new discs is slightly differenet, so I can get the same flight out of my throwers that are new just by a little searching. The replacement value is worth any slight difference in flight stability compared to "better" older discs.

There is definitely some truth to the old 1st/2nd run CE's being better. I don't know if they actually fly better, but they last longer and don't change stability. Despite all official denials, I believe they stopped making CE since it didn't degrade, so people didn't have to buy new discs.

That being said, i can't afford to replace CE discs, 11x teebirds, etc so I buy the new versions and just accept that i'll have to replace them as they wear in.

Sorry to disappoint the "vintage" buying crowd, but it's a waste of money. Thanks to everyone on Ebay who overpaid for my 11x discs, that helped me stock up on new discs nicely, that i have no fear throwing